Fostering Psychological Safety

Psychological safety is a critical component in developing a thriving workplace culture. It can be characterized as a society that rewards vulnerability, where people feel safe and encouraged to engage with one another and voice their opinion. According to statistics, over 80% of workers rank psychological safety as one of the most important components of their jobs. It is important for driving organizational success where people feel safe to share their beliefs and opinions without the risk of facing any backlash or harm. Building a safe workplace environment is a great way to empower employees and reduce the likelihood of conflicts.
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Psychological Safety: Creating a Workplace Where Employees Thrive
SHRM | Nov 2024

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What is psychological safety at work?
SHRM

Fostering Psychological Safety

Establishing psychological safety as an institutional priority is one of the ways you know you’re ‘getting there’ according to Miranda Phillips, PhD, Associate Adjunct Professor, Department of Applied Sciences, University of Maryland Global Campus.

Achieving the trust necessary for a psychologically secure environment takes time and should be reinforced through policy, codes of conduct, and performance reviews. "Psychological safety is a fundamental human need. To enable employees to reach their full potential and perform at their best, it’s essential to meet these basic needs first," says Phillips, emphasizing the importance of clear, consistent messaging in fostering a workplace culture of safety.
How To Establish Psychology Safety At Work: Tips For Leaders
Forbes | Oct 2024

The CARE model of psychological safety is a useful tool for developing an environment where employees feel respected and valued. CARE stands for: 

• Communication  
• Authenticity  
• Respect   
• Empathy  

This model was developed to help create trust and understanding between managers, employees, and colleagues. Communication is essential in any workplace—it’s important that everyone involved clearly understands what is expected from them, as well as provides feedback to each other. 
How to Create Psychological Safety in the Workplace
LinkedIn | Mar 2024

If you’re not sure whether groupthink is happening within your team, look for the telltale signs. Are people radio silent when asked for their opinions? Is there a general feeling of apathy or complacency? It may be because team members don’t believe leadership values their perspectives, a reasonable conclusion when diverse opinions are actively shot down or passively ignored.
How To Create A Psychologically Safe Workplace – And Why You Need To
Forbes | Jun 2023

A psychologically safe workplace is where employees feel comfortable taking risks and being themselves without fear of judgment, lateral violence (for example exclusion, bullying) or negative consequences.
Fostering psychological safety in the workplace: 4 practical, real-life tips based on science
Dalhousie University | May 2023

First, let's distinguish behaviours from practices: in this context, behaviours are aspects of how we work and interact, whilst practices are what we do. Practices are defined activities that may have a name, structure, and outcome. For example, a practice might be "After Action Reviews" whereas a behaviour might be "welcoming incomplete ideas". It's not a binary though, and some of the items in this list may qualify as both a behaviour and a practice.
Psychological Safety Behaviours
Psychological Safety | May 2023

Psychological safety is often misunderstood and undervalued in the workplace. When leaders cultivate a psychologically safe workplace, employees are more engaged and far more likely to bring forward game-changing ideas.
How Leaders Can Build Psychologically Safe Workplaces
Great Place to Work | Apr 2023

Managers who treated team members as unique individuals significantly boosted team psychological safety more than in any other group.
Proven Tactics for Improving Teams' Psychological Safety
MIT Sloan Management Review | Mar 2023

If you, as a leader, can own up to and demonstrate how you've learned from your mistakes, it paves the way for others. It's important to model the behavior you want to see in your team and normalize vulnerability. This includes things like being respectful, open to feedback, and willing to take risks.
What Is Psychological Safety?
(Limited free articles without a subscription.)
Harvard Business Review | Feb 2023

That means it’s not enough for leaders to drive strong employee performance. They need to take care of their team’s well-being, too. The traditional image of a stoic, unfeeling leader is actively being replaced by a professionalism that values care, empathy, and inclusivity. When leaders make their teams feel seen, heard, appreciated, and supported, the team members are likely to deliver better results.

This starts by enabling psychological safety, which refers to the ability to speak up without fear, reprimand, or humiliation at work, and is critical to helping teams build better relationships, make smart decisions, innovate, and execute tasks.
A Guide to Building Psychological Safety on Your Team
(Limited free articles without a subscription.)
Harvard Business Review | Dec 2022

Measuring Psychological Safety

How to Measure Psychological Safety
Leader Factor | Oct 2024

Measuring What Matters: The Role of Psychological Safety Metrics in HR
How can you Measure Psychological Safety at Work?
myHRFuture | Sep 2024, Jun 2022

Measuring Psychological Safety
Psychological Safety | Aug 2020

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